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Cars.com to become a separate publicly traded company

Established in 1998, Cars.com is currently one of the largest online automotive classified ad sites, and as of next month it will become a separate publicly traded company. The company will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange June 1 under the ticker symbol “CARS.”

TEGNA Inc. which is already publicly traded, announced that its Board of Directors has approved Cars.com's spin-off, which will create two publicly traded companies. The spin-off will be effected through a pro rata distribution of all outstanding shares of Cars.com to TEGNA stockholders of record at the close of business on May 18, 2017 (the “Record Date”).

Stockholders will keep their TEGNA shares and receive one share of Cars.com for every three shares of TEGNA stock they own on the Record Date. Cars.com shares are expected to begin “regular way” trading on June 1, 2017. The spin-off remains subject to the conditions described in the preliminary information statement filed by Cars.com on Form 10 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Gracia Martore, President and CEO of TEGNA, will retire upon the closing of the spin-off, said, “Today’s milestone brings us one step closer to creating two industry-leading companies with the right focus, resources and leadership to capture the unique opportunities in each of their rapidly evolving industries.”

Dave Lougee, who will serve as President and CEO of TEGNA upon completion of the separation, added, “I am honored to lead TEGNA into the future at such a pivotal time for our company. With our strong capital structure, we are well-positioned to take advantage of current and future regulatory changes.”

Alex Vetter, who will serve as President and CEO of Cars.com upon completion of the separation, said, “We are approaching a watershed moment for Cars.com and I couldn’t be more excited about our future. As an independent company, we have greater flexibility to capture the opportunities ahead of us by leveraging our strong brand, innovative platform and expanding, loyal audience.”

Upon completion of the separation, TEGNA will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol TGNA and Cars.com will trade regular way on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CARS.

Holders of TEGNA common stock who sell TEGNA shares regular way on or before May 31, 2017 will also be selling their right to receive shares of Cars.com common stock in the distribution. Investors are encouraged to consult with their financial advisors regarding the specific implications of buying or selling TEGNA common stock before the distribution date.

John A. (Jack) Williams, President of TEGNA Digital, will retire upon the closing of the spin-off. Ms. Martore added, “Jack joined the company 22 years ago and has been instrumental in leading our Digital portfolio since 2008. I want to thank Jack for all that he has done for this company and wish him well in his retirement.”